Friday, October 31, 2014

Prepare yourself for lots of Autumn squash recipes over the next few weeks...

This dish was very satisfying and healthy. The homemade pesto was tangy and sweet and so worth making (my Bullet Blender is amazing for this).
It is a perfect Fall dinner.

Butternut Kale Pasta with Pumpkin Seed Pesto

1-12oz bag cubed butternut squash (Trader Joes)

extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. sea salt

bit of fresh grated nutmeg

1-10oz bag chopped kale, stems removed

12oz. whole wheat pasta

// pumpkin seed pesto //

3 cloves garlic

zest and juice of 2 lemons

2/3 cup roasted candied pumpkin seeds (Trader Joes)

1 cup parsley

1 cup grated parmesan or pecorino, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup water

few pinches of salt and pepper

1. Saute butternut cubes with the olive oil (enough to coat), paprika, salt, a grate of nutmeg until caramelized and cooked through. Add kale, more olive oil and saute till all kale is cooked.

2. Cook pasta.

3. While pasta is cooking, make pesto. Add the garlic, lemon zest and juice to a blender or processor and pulse a few times to break down. Add the pumpkin seeds, parsley and parmesan and run the processor to mix, about 30 seconds. Drizzle in the olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper until combined. Taste and alter as desired. Add water to thin to preferred consistency.

4. To serve, spoon butternut squash and kale over pasta and pour over pesto and mix together.

To keep in the fridge, put pesto in a separate container and add to pasta/butternut before heating up each time.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Chairish, an exclusive curator approved - online marketplace for vintage furniture, reached out to me recently to showcase one of their rugs and demonstrate how to decorate a room going from white to bright.
I have been obsessed with over-dyed Turkish rugs for quite some time and was excited to use a green version for both my rooms.